adminSukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
ABOUT 65 passengers escaped death after a Gatsheni Express Bus they were travelling on veered of the road and rammed into trees on Sunday.
The bus was travelling from Bulawayo and was bound for Bambadzi in Bulilima District when it developed a mechanical a fault and veered off the road at the five kilometre peg along the Plumtree- Madlambuzi Road at around 1PM.
Eyewitnesses said the bus came to a halt after ploughing into the bush for about 200 metres.
The bus driver, Mr Rabson Ncube said he failed to control the vehicle.
“The bus developed a fault with the steering wheel. As I approached a curve while I was ferrying passengers that were going to different parts in Bulilima the steering wheel stopped functioning.
“I could not control the direction of the bus and as a result it veered off the road. I tried to stop the bus but I failed and the bus finally stopped on its own after uprooting several trees that were in its way,” said Mr Ncube.
A passenger, Mr Hanani Moyo of Dombodema said he was lucky to be alive.
He said the bus missed an abandoned building and some big trees.
“It is by God’s grace that we managed to escape from that accident. As the bus veered off the road, it went through some gullies and at one point I assumed that it would overturn as it swerved to one side.
“We missed an old abandoned building by an inch and luckily we only rammed into small trees because if we had come across a large tree the outcome could have been devastating,” he said.
Mr Moyo said passengers were screaming and when the bus finally came to a halt, they all struggled to get out.
Bulilima West MP, Cde Lungisani Nleya who visited the scene of the accident said he was concerned that some public transporters were ferrying passengers in faulty vehicles.
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derick.khumalo